The moment Dylan had the codex in his hands, he tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge. It was as if an invisible force was sealing it shut.
"This is the same thing that happened to the last owner of this body," he realized.
Having read countless fantasy books back on Earth, a specific trope came to mind immediately. He needed to bind the item to himself using his own blood. It worked like a charm in almost every story, so why not here?
Dylan rummaged through the drawers until he found a hidden hunting knife. Without hesitation, he sliced his palm and let his blood drip onto the cover of the codex.
At first, nothing happened. Then, a notification from the system flashed before his eyes.
[User linked to the Legendary Ero Codex]
"It fucking worked!" Dylan exclaimed, a wide grin spreading across his face.
Now that his essence was linked to the book, Dylan pulled up his system information to get a look at his new stats.
[Dylan (Dillaen)]
[Class: Knight Apprentice]
[Level: 5]
[Race: Elf]
[Health: 160/180]
[Mana: 90/90]
[EXP: 40/1300]
[Attributes]
[Strength: 8]
[Agility: 13]
[Endurance: 5]
[Intelligence: 7]
[Wisdom: 9]
[Charm: 3 (+30)]
[Free points: 0]
Dylan analyzed his current condition. He was weak, sitting at only Level 5. Basically, he was a novice just starting his journey. But one thing immediately jumped out at him: the temporary bonus of +30 points in Charm! That was a massive boost.
Charm was a unique attribute. Unlike the others, it couldn't be upgraded using standard methods. While Strength or Agility could be increased with the free points earned from leveling up, Charm was different. To raise it, one needed special passive skills, rare items, or specific consumables.
"Why do I have 30 extra points?" Dylan wondered.
He scrolled down to check his active and passive abilities. He didn't have any active skills yet, but there was a new passive listed there.
[Codex Owner: You are the owner of the Ero Codex, so you are naturally more charming. Be ready to get a lot of women in your bed]
[+30 points in Charm]
With the codex finally linked to him, Dylan tried to open it once more. This time, the pages yielded to his touch, but the experience was far from what he expected. The book seemed to take on a life of its own, flipping through the pages at a rapid pace, as if guided by an unseen hand.
The chaotic dance of pages lasted for about a minute before the codex abruptly stopped, landing on a specific page. Dylan's eyes widened as he took in the content. There, staring back at him, was an illustration of a sex position—the reverse cowgirl.
But the image wasn't the only thing on the page. Accompanying it were a few sentences outlining his mission.
[Seduce the elven queen and fuck her by making her do the reverse cowgirl with you]
[Rewards: Choose one of three random skills]
[1 Level]
[Time limit to finish the quest: 3 days]
[Massive debuffs if you fail the quest]
"Shit, this is huge," Dylan muttered, his heart racing. The rewards were tempting, but the quest came with a significant risk.
"How bad will these debuffs be? And why does it have to be the queen? She's the most challenging woman in this place, damn it..."
Dylan was already in deep shit thanks to his fling with the princess, and now the codex wanted him to go after the queen. This wasn't going to be easy, to say the least.
Once he had the codex, Dylan used its power to make it vanish. Since they were linked, the book felt like an extension of him—he could summon it whenever he wanted. It was perfect; it kept the artifact hidden and meant he couldn't lose it.
"Knowing how clumsy I am, this is a lifesaver," he thought.
After grabbing some clean clothes from his wardrobe, Dylan stepped out of his house and addressed the guard waiting outside.
"I need to wash up. I'm heading to the creek nearby," Dylan said.
The guard didn't reply. He simply shadowed Dylan, staying close on his heels. It was unnerving having someone tail him like that, but Dylan tried to brush it off.
When they reached the stream near the elven settlement, he started undressing, starting with his shirt.
"Do me a favor and turn around. I don't need an audience while I bathe."
That finally got a reaction out of the guard.
"Don't flatter yourself. You think I want to look at a naked man? Just don't try to run, or I'll beat the hell out of you."
Dylan stripped the rest of the way and slipped into the water. It was cool and refreshing, washing away the grime that had been stuck to his skin for days. Plain water wasn't enough, though, so he used some of the homemade soap the elves made from forest ingredients. It worked wonders, scrubbing him clean and leaving him smelling a hell of a lot better.
He took his time enjoying the water, knowing he had no idea what the next few days would bring. He swam and dove until the guard finally got impatient.
"We can't stay here all day," the guard barked. "Let's go. Move it."
Dylan didn't argue. He dried off with the towel he'd brought, threw on his fresh clothes, and headed back to the tribe with his escort.
As soon as they arrived, Dylan groaned aloud, "Man, I'm starving."
The guard laughed in his face. "That's your problem. I'm not here to feed you or play nanny."
Dylan had no idea what he was going to eat. He was prepared to head back to his place and figure out how to cook something, but to his surprise, something unexpected happened. While he was standing in the middle of the village, the Queen herself descended from the Royal House—perched atop a giant tree—and came to speak to him.
She was flanked by several powerful guards who would end Dylan's life in a heartbeat if he tried anything funny. The Queen was a slender woman with large breasts and a silhouette that would make any woman jealous. Every step she took made her chest bounce up and down. It looked like they were about to burst out of her clothes at any moment. Her shining blonde hair also grabbed plenty of attention.
"Dillaen," the Queen said, her voice sweet like honey. "Would you like to have dinner with me tonight?"
The moment she said it, all the guards around her looked shocked, as if they had no idea she was going to ask that.
Dylan bowed to show respect and replied, "I'd love to."
The Queen smiled and beckoned him closer. The two of them walked together toward the massive tree at the center of the tribe. Dylan couldn't help but stare at the Queen's ass on the way.
"What a hot elf..." he thought with a grin on his face.